As is well known that door handles such as those used for restrooms can undesirably carry germs due to the poor hygiene practices of others. In an effort to avoid contact with the door handle, restroom patrons will often utilize any means available to open a restroom door and exit to avoid contact with the door handle. Quite often the patrons will use their feet to pry the door open, a paper towel to insulate their hands from the door handle, grasp the door in a location other than the handle, or even wait for another patron to enter, in an effort to avoid contact with the door altogether.
Automatically operating a door for opening and closing is also well known, and typically used for permitting pedestrians to enter and exit buildings, rest rooms, hallways, and the like without having to open and close the doors manually. Such automatic doors are commonly found in retail stores, supermarkets, and the like, and are also used to facilitate and speed up passage through an entrance or exit, especially for aiding elderly or handicapped persons. Sensors are typically employed, as are video cameras.
One example of an automatic door control system is found in US application publication US 2007/0008124 for Stadler et al. disclosing a method of controlling a swinging automatic door that includes acquiring images of an area where the door swings open or closed, detecting motion in an area that fronts one side of the door when the door is closed, and causes the door to be closed to or opened when motion is detected based on image comparisons.
By way of further example, US patent application US 2006/0244403 to Christensson et al. discloses a sensor arrangement for controlling opening and closing of a door device. The sensor arrangement monitors and acquires images of a field of view that encompasses at least an approach area located adjacent said door device, and a movement detector, which is arranged to process the acquired images in order to detect a movement, which is to result in an opening of the door device.
By using a passive image sensor, the detailed and specific movement of a person can be identified and the door opened upon detection of the person. Intelligent controllers are also employed, and permit a control of the door only upon meeting preselected criteria.
While automatic door openers are well known, motion detectors typically initiate both opening and closing of doors as a patron approaches the door. The patron enters a zone in which a proximity detector detects the presence of the patron and automatically opens the door. There are certain drawbacks of these automatic door openers especially in the close quarters of a public restroom. For example, due to the small size of many public restrooms, proximity detectors can activate from almost any movement in the restroom. This results in the constant opening and closing of the restroom door due to the movement of the patron inside the restroom. In addition, patrons entering the restroom from the outside will often trigger the door to swing inward where another patron may be standing.
Attempts to remedy these drawbacks have been made by way of motors or opening mechanisms that stop progress when obstructed. While these improvements resolve a portion of the problems in that the patron in the path of the door is not injured, it is still inconvenient for all involved. It is desirable to have a door that can be opened both manually or automatically upon the affirmative action of a patron. This allows for a choice of automatically or manually opening the door, as well as making the patron aware of the doors automatic opening so that any impedance may be avoided. It is further desirable to be able to manually and automatically lock and unlock the door.